Sink or Swim

He wasn't sure how it happened or when it exactly began, but the youth had grown large crystals on his body and he found it hard to walk. They grew on his legs, making his steps heavy as if he were tied down to the earth. Moving for him was slow, and to make matters worse, he had smaller crystal clusters growing from the corners of his eyes and his ears, too. Green ooze seemed to flow freely from where the crystals grew, and he was sure all this added weight and loss of fluids was the reason he had been feeling pretty fatigued. He still ate, but meals were few and far in between since he had to try to make and set traps to catch his food. He couldn't effectively chase anything down for more than a quick sprint before he got too tired to continue on.

He had eventually made it to the lake, mushrooms and fireflies and crystals growing all over the place, though he ignored those as he set his crystallized sights on the water. His throat felt parched, the ooze on his tongue making him feel dehydrated, and he was sure he looked worse for wear. He half-slid, half fell onto the shore of the lake, the large crystal clusters that grew down his spine causing him to flop to his side. He had tried to remove them a few days prior, but the pain had been excruciating and he had no success in getting any of them off. He shoved his muzzle into the water, practically inhaling the water as he desperately sought to quench his thirst.

"Speech"